VEGA SICILIA UNICO 1.5L 2004
Offered JUL 25th, 2017
Vega Sicilia was founded in the 1860s by Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, a Spanish winemaker who was trained in Bordeaux. When he returned to his homeland of Castile, he planted his vineyard with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Malbec. The extensive use of Bordeaux varieties was unusual in the Ribera del Duero at the time, and though future plantings have focused more on Tempranillo, nearly 40% of Vega Sicilia’s vineyards are still planted with traditional Bordeaux varieties, including nearly 25% planted to Cabernet Sauvignon alone.
The winery is noted for its patience in winemaking, and willingness to age their wines in the barrel and bottle for many years until it fits the house style – depending on the vintage, the wine could be held for decades until it is released. Vega Sicilia has maintained a clearly defined style, producing concentrated, mature, generous and extremely elegant wines.
Vega Sicilia Unico 1.5L 2004
24 magnums available, $950 per magnum
97 points Wine Advocate: “Moving on to the big guns, the 2004 Unico is truly spectacular, in line with the 1970 and 1994. It’s a blend of 87% Tempranillo and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Unico has a unique long aging, in the case of the 2004, 15 months in 20,000-liter vats, 25 month in new barrels, 17 months in used barrels and a further 26 months in the big oak vats. It has complex notes of tobacco, cedar wood and blackberries, and shows very good balance between power and elegance as well as perfect ripeness. It has a similar profile to the 1994, but there’s ten years difference in experience and technical knowledge. There is nuance; there is detail, filigree, balance, harmony and complexity. There is a fine texture. In short, it is a great, world-class wine, a superb vintage for Unico.”
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